Monthly Archives: December 2014

“It is impossible to be good with money when you don’t have any. Full stop. If I’m saving my spare five bucks a week, in the best-case scenario I will have saved $260 a year. For those of you that think in quarters: $65 per quarter in savings. If you deny yourself even small luxuries, that’s the fortune you’ll amass. Of course you will never manage to actually save it; you’ll get sick at least one day and miss work and dip into it for rent. Gas will spike and you’ll need it to get to work. You’ll get a tear in your work pants that you can’t patch. Something, I guarantee you, will happen in three months.”

A retired LAPD officer held a fundraiser where about half of those in attendance were on the force. In the salon article below there is video of the following song being sung;
“Michael Brown learned a lesson about a messin’
With a badass policeman
And he’s bad, bad Michael Brown
Baddest thug in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
Meaner than a junkyard dog.

Two men took to fightin’
And Michael punched in through the door
And Michael looked like some old Swiss cheese
His brain was splattered on the floor

And he’s dead, dead Michael Brown
Deadest man in the whole damn town
His whole life’s long gone
Deader than a roadkill dog.”

Just another ‘bad apple’? Looks like he’s not falling far from the ORCHARD

This situation is incredibly frustrating. It just further adds to the insurmountable pile of evidence that police as a system and institution need a total overhaul.
Mayor De Blasio supported the citizens right to legal and peaceful protest. He supports the NYPD but also wants to improve services (easy to forget policing is a public service) by addressing areas that can be improved, such as the handling of those presumed to be committing a crime, especially folks of colour.
This demonstration shows a lack of accountability and a lack of reflection. Zero ability to grow or see room for improvement.
How does it make sense to give more gun power and carte Blanche to an organization that sees itself above the very laws it has SWORN TO UPHOLD AND PROTECT???

“The week before the shooting of Ramos and Liu, the PBA leader suggested police officers sign a petition demanding that the mayor not attend their funerals should they die on the job.” —->are you kidding me? Why is it so terrible to want the same rights and fairness for every citizen, not just those wearing a badge?

Another of many examples of officers coming forward to expose systemic flaws that are being actively upheld by high ranking members of police forces.

“Hundreds of hours of tape reveal how bosses threatened street cops if they don’t make enough stop-and-frisk arrests, “but also tell them not to take certain robbery reports in order to manipulate crime statistics,” according to the Voice. “The tapes also refer to command officers calling crime victims directly to intimidate them about their complaints.”

Excellent read on our judgments surrounding poverty and how fucked up they are

“In other words, we want you to look poor if we are going to help you, whatever poor means to us. Make us feel bad for you. C’mon. Nevermind that people of means blow their money on objects and experiences well beyond their actual income and have the luxury of hiding behind debt, but there is somehow the sense that if we can’t see the shell game going on behind it, you have earned the right to present yourself as better off than you are whether it’s true or not.

Is there a formula for being deserving of nice things? Do you actually believe that everyone who is rich earned their wealth, or have you just been confused by an invisible system of networks, bridges, opportunity, hand-holding, inheritances, staggering debt, and even outright criminality in some cases behind it?”

I have seen this movie a thousand times and this had never occurred to me, but it makes SO much sense!

” From there we start to really see cultural appropriation come into play. The entirety of the “Making Christmas” montage highlights how one culture can cheapen another’s through careless imitation. They’re doing the standard making of the presents, wrapping the gifts, and getting the sleigh ready, but they’re “improving” it all by making it scary and gory. The similarities to fashion companies faking traditional tribal designs (but twisting them to be trendy) are apt. There’s a sense of entitlement here; entitlement and arrogance. The only person in town who questions all of it is Sally. Even though she’s nervous around the man she has feelings for, Sally tries her best to reason with Jack, but he doesn’t listen to her warnings.”

” It’s hard to be the friend of an infertile, but you are not the victim. It’s really not about you, so don’t make it that way. Infertiles are trying desperately to live in a fertile world, and it can be hard even to get out of bed each day. Those going through infertility treatments experience similar rates of depression as those being treated for cancer. In most cases infertility is not life-threatening, but it sure as hell affects your quality of life.
I promise you, these people have thought more than most about what it means to become a parent. A child conceived through infertility treatments is appreciated and loved just as much as, if not more than, a child conceived any other way.”

These are some great suggestions. Hubby and I are just now slowly making our struggle public and this would be helpful with a lot of the of the cuff advise we get from friends and family (and strangers) that just want to help.
Anyone else having this issue? Any suggestions for coping?